Summer Movie Mania: Week 4

Oh yes, this was the movie to end all movies this summer and I was not disappointed.

Spider-man 2 was the title we screened this week, and to say my anticipation for this movie was great would be an understatement. I was immensely excited to see the movie, not just because I'm an avid fan of the comic book, but because there was so much hype. If critics and normal everyday people on the street claimed the movie to be a disappointment, I wouldn't have been as jazzed of course, but with all the hooplah, it was hard not to get carried off by the wave of acclaim. This is all besides the point, let's talk about the movie.

Plot-wise, the movie was quite strong. Although the green goblin was certainly a good villain for the first movie, Doctor Octopus' motives and actions seemed less arbitrary and more effective. His story was barely as much a centerpiece as was the story of Peter Parker's struggles to deal with his dual identity. One could see the stress that he was putting upon himself as he was weighted down by his self-induced responsibility. Sam Raimi did a good job of showing Parker's hard luck, and his angst at not being able to be with the one he loved. It drove the picture to be something more than a normal action movie, and much more than any comic book movie I've seen so far.

The acting was stellar. Alfred Molina was a tremendous casting choice from the beginning and he nailed the character down. It seemed he was enjoying the role quite a bit from a viewer's perspective, and it remains to be seen whether he comes back for a future stint. Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane was more serviceable this time around as she had more to do than scream and get mad at Harry Osborne/James Franco. The actor who holds this picture together though was Mr. Toby Maguire. I said it when he was cast, and I'll say it now again, "Perfect choice." I don't think anyone else could maintain the duality of being so forlorn and also so brave at the same time. When he's intense, he IS intense.

All of this, the effects, the story, the acting, and even the theater made this movie the winner so far this summer. The ending obviously sets up the sequel, and although it's doubtful, I would love to see Raimi come back for another few installments, or as long as he can keep making these movies. Right now, he owns the franchise.

Final score: 5 out of 5 stars.

Awesome.